Net income of $0.02 per diluted share compares with loss of $0.05 year ago

Company focused on increasing production of premium whiskeys and bourbons at Indiana distillery

ATCHISON, Kan., Aug. 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MGP Ingredients, Inc. (Nasdaq:MGPI) (the "Company") today reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2013. Net income for the second quarter was $280,000, or $0.02 per diluted share, compared with a net loss of $850,000, or a loss of $0.05 per diluted share in the prior year. Net income (loss) comparisons are positive compared with a year ago despite reduced volume of industrial alcohol, higher commodity prices, and some temporary operational interruptions. The Company expects continued year-over-year sales declines in industrial alcohol for the remainder of 2013. In 2012 the Company's distillery segment included sales of alcohol under a marketing agreement with Illinois Corn Processing (ICP). The marketing agreement expired effective January 1, 2013. The Company has not sourced product from ICP since April 2013.

Net sales for the second quarter declined by approximately 7 percent from the year-ago period. Higher beverage alcohol sales were offset by lower sales of bulk industrial alcohol. Demand for the Company's portfolio of whiskeys and bourbons remains strong. Production of new distillate at the Indiana facility continues to grow. While distillery production has more than doubled since the operation was acquired at the end of 2011, MGP is planning further increases in output to support anticipated growth. Higher ingredient sales in the second quarter were led by strong demand for specialty starches and wheat proteins used in a variety of food applications in the U.S. and internationally. The Company's latest innovation is a lightly hydrolyzed wheat protein named Optein™, which targets a number of applications such as nutritional drinks, smoothies, meal replacement bars and sports beverages. There were no sales in the Company's other segment due to the sale of the bioplastics manufacturing business on February 8, 2013.